Taxes Could Hurt Wind Energy Projects

The Legislature’s Joint Revenue Interim Committee on Thursday voted down a bill that would have continued the sales and use tax exemption on equipment used on wind turbines projects in exchange for imposing lower, one-time impact fees on them.

Shawn Reese, Mead’s policy director, said Friday that imposing sales and use taxes on wind energy projects would likely result in some never getting built.

Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, is a member of the revenue committee. He said after Thursday’s vote that he believes future wind farm construction depends more on the existence of transmission lines than the state’s tax policy.